Hammer swing weakenedDidn't encircle ParisGave time for French mobilisationSlower German mobilisation

French response to Schlieffen Plan

Didn't believe itGermans didn't have enough men in professional army

Mons

Belgian resistance to German invasionBelgians aided by BritishFirst conflict between Britain and GermanySlowed German advance

Battle of Marne

6-12 September 1914French Commander General Joffre and German General von KluckKluck's 1st army vulnerableAttack by Joffre created gap between 1st and 2nd armyBritish troops could encircle themFrench troops mobilised from ParisGerman retreat to River AisneStart of trench warfare -> STALEMATE

Start of trench warfare

Battle of Marne

Wilson quote on trench warfare

"for the Germans, this was an entirely new phenomenon"

French war plan

1913 - Plan 17Defend Franco-German border

Race to the Sea

September-November 1914 - Armies trying to outflank each other to reach the sea first. Both wanted Channel ports

Results of Race to the Sea

Troops dug into positionEstablished the Western Front

Western Front

720 km of trench lines stretching from English Channel to Swiss Frontier

First Battle of Ypres

October-November 1914Made Western Front and Stalemate official

Fussell quote on Christmas Truce

"The Christmas truce was the last twitch of the 20th century."

(German) General von Falkenhayn

Believed the war would be won on the Western Front

(German) General von Hindenburg

Ended war of attrition at VerdunElected President of Germany in 1926

(German) General von Ludendorff

Helped with the militarisation of the German economy

(French) General Joffre

Commander-in-chief 1914-1916

(French) General Nivelle

Commander in Chief 1916-1917

(French) General Pétain

Commander in Chief 1917

(French) General Foch

Généralissime ("Supreme General")

(British) Field Marshal Sir John French

Commander in Chief of BEF 1914-1915

(British) General Haig

Commander in Chief 1915-1918Used controversial methods

Cult of the Offensive

...

Trench Warfare

Defensive strategy associated with WW1 immobility

Trench System

Network of trenches consisting of multiple lines and traversing connections between the lines.

Reserve trenches

A part of the trench system where reinforcements would wait to be called up to the front line.

Communications trenches

Trenches that provided protected passage between the rear and front lines of a defensive position. Used to move soldiers and supplies from trench to trench without exposing them to enemies' fire.

Front-line trenches

The first line of attack and defence in the trench system.

Support trenches

The second line of trenches where front line soldiers retreat during a bombardment.

No man's land

The area of land between the two enemies' front lines

Dugout

An underground shelter dug into the side of trenches to protect from enemy fire and the elements.

Salient

A military position which bulges forward into enemy territory and is vulnerable to enemy attacks. Ypres.

Duck Board

A board or board walk laid across wet or muddy ground or flooring.

Barbed Wire

Twisted strands of fence wire with barbs at regular intervals. Put in front of trenches to deter the enemy from going 'over the top'.

Over the Top

To leave the trenches and attack the enemy.

Firing Step

A step built into each trench two or three feet from the trench floor to enable a soldier to look through the parapet into No Man's Land in the direction of the enemy trench line.

Parapet

A protective wall or earth defence along the top of a trench or other place of concealment for troops.

Pill Box

Concrete structures occupied by a few men and positioned to control a section of the front.